Outdoor gear retailer REI, supplying hikers, backpackers and cyclists in Colorado since 1983 and a prominent contributor to conservation and land protection causes, is under threat of a union-backed boycott of its upcoming May anniversary sale.

On April 18, union supporters spread a 25-foot banner in front of REI’s Colorado flagship store on the South Platte River Trail in Denver, reading “Time’s Up, Fair Contract or BOYCOTT.”

The REI Union formally represents workers at only 11 of REI’s 195 stores nationally, none of which are in Colorado.

The first unionized REI store came in 2022 in Manhattan’s SoHo district. It has since organized union shops at stores in Bellingham, Wash., in California stores in Berkeley and Santa Cruz, and in Cleveland, Chicago, Boston, and several smaller markets.

The REO Union is affiliated with the 1.3-million-member United Food and Commercial Workers union, representing grocery, meatpacking, retail and cannabis industry workers in the U.S. and Canada,

REI, founded in Seattle in 1938 by an ice climber who launched a co-op with 21 members of his mountaineering club, presents an unusual corporate structure for a major retailer: a consumer cooperative now with 25 million members that can vote in its corporate board elections and who receive a 10% discount on purchases.

Along with its rank as the nation’s largest consumer cooperative, the store nurtures a vibe as a fun retail experience driven by outdoor-oriented sales representatives who know their sports, enjoy a team culture and get discounts on their gear.

However, the union claims that following its first unionization, REI carried out “a scorched-earth union-busting campaign both in-store and at the bargaining table.”

In a media statement that appears to have been sent by the union’s UFCW affiliates and by a smaller retail union affiliate, the union alleged the retailer misinformed and intimidated workers and had terminated “vocal union supporters.”

That reference may relate to a layoff of 428 of its 14,000 employees nationally that REI carried out early last year, when it closed its “Experiences” travel and tours division. Backers allege that union leaders were among those targeted, and some individual members said at the time that the company had cut retirement and other benefits during negotiations.

In December 2024, union members carried out a 54-day strike against the SoHo store, allegedly over safety issues. In advance of the planned boycott, the union is said to demand REI return to negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement and provide some wage increases and bonuses allegedly offered in 2025. No specific terms were provided in the union’s statement.

The union also provided no information on its membership size, but said “an overwhelming majority of unionized REI workers” had voted for a boycott if a contract isn’t reached. It further claimed it had driven a mass voting effort by 115,000 members and others to vote down candidates in REI’s board election last year, after claiming that union-backed candidates were denied candidacy.

The Denver Gazette reached out repeatedly both to the Denver flagship store’s management and to REI corporate headquarters in Sumner, Wash., for specific responses. The company provided a general statement, pledging to continue negotiations and denying some of the charges.

“We strongly disagree with the union’s characterization of recent events,” the statement provided to The Denver Gazette said. “REI did not act illegally, nor did we walk away from negotiations. We have shown up consistently, constructively, and in good faith, putting forward proposals focused on competitive pay and benefits.”

REI’s corporate statement went on to say the cooperative cared for its employees and had negotiated with respect to collective bargaining with “the goal of reaching agreements that support our teams and ensure the long-term health of the co-op.”

The company noted that in the course of negotiations, it had worked with the union’s representatives at 11 separate bargaining tables and was striving for a single national structure to create clarity.

REI also called out the seriousness of a prospective boycott timed for the store’s popular May sales event, saying that “the vast majority of our employees take pride in supporting” the annual sale.

“Actions aimed at weakening the business can have real, lasting consequences,” the company added, “and put the jobs, wages, benefits, and future opportunities employees depend on at risk.”

According to published reports, the company has struggled recently, filing net losses for each year since 2022, following the COVID-19 pandemic. During the Experience layoffs, REI President Eric Artz wrote employees that the company needed “a sustainable economic model that supports our core mission.”

An online look at job opportunities suggests that REI pays a starting wage in the $20/hour range, which is marginal here with Denver’s minimum wage $19.29/hour. Online chatter regarding salary levels paints a picture of employees who like working around their chosen sports, but who would struggle to make it without the support of spouses and others.